Animal Health News & Notes for October 14, 2011

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Brakke Consulting’s
Animal Health News & Notes for October 14, 2011
Copyright © Brakke Consulting, Inc.
 
Editor: Lynn Fondon, DVM MBA
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IN THE NEWS:
 
Brakke news
Transaction assistance
 
other news
BioNeutral Group
Hamilton Research
IDEXX (canine distemper)
IDEXX (PRRS)
Inovio Pharmaceuticals
Lohmann
Nestle Purina
PRN Pharmacal
Vetoquinol
 
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BRAKKE CONSULTING, INC.
TRANSACTION ASSISTANCE
 
Are you interested in growing your business by purchasing another company, product line or technology?  Have you been thinking about selling your company, product line or technology? Have you considered merging your company with another firm to improve shareholder value?
 
Brakke Consulting, Inc. assisted many clients with mergers, acquisitions and divestitures over the past 25 years.  For more information about our transaction assistance services, contact us at 972.243.4033 or info@brakkeconsulting.com, or visit our website.
 
www.BrakkeConsulting.com

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COMPANY NEWS RELEASES
 
> PRN Pharmacal announced the launch of CitraVet, a supplement to support urinary health in dogs and cats.  CitraVet is a liver-flavored chewable tablet containing 675 mg of potassium citrate. (company press release) 
 
> Lohmann Animal Health International announced that it has broken ground on a $6 million expansion project in Winslow, Maine. The investment will add production capacity to its live vaccine manufacturing facilities.  (Feedstuffs) 
 
> IDEXX Reference Laboratories announced the availability of the Canine Distemper Virus (CDV) Quant RealPCR Test, a new canine distemper virus (CDV) test that differentiates infected dogs from those vaccinated for the disease. The new test has been incorporated into IDEXX Reference Laboratories’ existing canine respiratory disease panels at no additional cost. A stand-alone test is also available for quantitative distemper virus information from swabs collected from respiratory mucosa. (company website) 
 
> IDEXX announced the US release of its IDEXX PRRS X3 Antibody Test for porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome (PRRS). The USDA-licensed indirect ELISA test detects PRRS antibodies in serum starting as early as eight days after exposure and offers 99.9% specificity and a 90% reduction in false-positive singleton reactors. It’s also proven to detect a broad array of PRRS isolates from around the world. (company press release)
 
> Inovio Pharmaceuticals reported it is working with the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS) to evaluate a number of multi-strain vaccines for foot and mouth disease (FMD) in livestock. The organizations recently agreed to test the efficacy of Inovio’s SynCon vaccines in live virus challenge experiments following the success of its first large-scale trial in pigs and sheep earlier this year.  The company has developed a number of vaccine candidates that protect livestock from a combination of the FMD clades A, O, C and Asia. (Animal Pharm)
 
> BioNeutral Group, Inc. announced that it has signed a distribution agreement with Hamilton Research LLC, an affiliate division of Hamilton Thorne Ltd., to introduce, market and distribute its newly approved Ygiene-206 Sterilant to the veterinary industry. (MarketWatch) 
 
> EUROPE  Vétoquinol announced the European launch of Forcyl, a new antibiotic product for bovine respiratory infections. Forcyl is a new drug based on 16% concentrated marbofloxacin, which treats infected cattle with a single injection. (Animal Pharm) 
 
> EU Nestle Purina announced it has created the first-ever television commercial aimed at interesting dogs themselves, as well as their owners.  The television commercial, created by Nestle Purina for its dog food brand Beneful, has been screened on German and Austrian television and uses different sounds, including a high frequency tone, to capture the attention of dogs and their companions. (Animal Pharm) 
 
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ANIMAL HEALTH NEWS
 
> ANTIMICROBIAL RESISTANCE  The World Organization for Animal Health (OIE) has created a dedicated web space to provide updated and relevant information on the subject of antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The new AMR web space – at www.oie.int/en/for-the-media/amr – contains scientific expertise on antimicrobial resistance in the animal health sector; information on veterinary drugs for use in livestock; updates on key events; the OIE’s international recommendations and standards on antibiotics and other resources. (Animal Pharm)
 
> GRENADA – VETERINARY SCHOOL   St. George’s University (SGU) School of Veterinary Medicine, Grenada, West Indies, announced that it has been granted full accreditation by the American Veterinary Medical Association’s (AVMA) Council on Education (COE). The veterinary school has been open since 1999, and currently has 500 veterinary students enrolled, 85% of whom are from the United States. (MarketWatch)
 
> US – INNOVATION CENTER   Kansas City’s Center for Animal Health Innovation (CAHI) announced the appointment of Jeffrey Boily as its CEO, effective September 19, 2011. (company press release)
 
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BRAKKE CONSULTING VIEWPOINT
 
It’s still a bit early for the third quarter reports for those companies that are public.  The preliminary feedback we’ve had is that revenue slowed during the period compared to prior years. There continues to be concern over the economy and how it may to impact veterinary services and product purchases. 
 
There is some indication that there is channel shifting by pet owners occurring in some of the product areas.  We will have more information on this when we complete some of our pet owner studies. The food animal portion of the business continues to benefit from some of the highest prices in several years.  In the past few weeks, feed grain future prices have dropped, which will assist in profitability.
 
I’m currently on my farm in SD preparing for the harvest of the local Ring Neck Pheasants and will provide you with weekly reports on hunting conditions over the next few weekends.  During the week I will be working so don’t be too envious!!  The weather report for the next few days is great.   
 
Have a great weekend!!  

Ron Brakke
 
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Brakke Consulting, Inc.
2735 Villa Creek, Suite 140
Dallas, TX  75234    USA